The 38 primates, representing Anglicans in 164 countries, will be asked to share their thoughts on two questions: What do you think is the most pressing challenge or issue facing the Anglican Communion at this time? What do you think is the most pressing challenge or issue facing your own province?
Rather than seeing this process as an attempt to sidestep the issue of sexuality, which has deeply divided Anglicans, Archbishop Hiltz sees it was a way forward. “If there’s any hope of some sense of renewed relationships with one another, it’s through conversations like these,” he said.
Reports that some primates with more conservative theological views are planning to boycott the meeting “does nothing to model for the church what it means to try and live with difference,” he added. “To simply say, ”˜I refuse to come’ is anything but exemplary of the office and ministry to which we are called.”
If the answer to the first question is anything other than the current impasse (as witnessed by the absent Primates) then they are all being disingenuous which would be very sad indeed.
Bizzaro. Not sidestepping? Try chosen total invincible ignorance with culpability.
What is perhaps of more concern is the issue of this ‘facilitator’ being imposed upon the Primates. Some are already pointing out that this is the Delphi Technique manipulation seen at the Lambeth Conference, where pre-determined outcomes were engineered from compliant or unaware attendants. At the Lambeth Conference, a number of bishops who made points which did not fit with the organisers’ objectives found that the points they made were excluded from the reports prepared by the Canterbury appointed and managed ‘facilitators’. A set of ‘reflections’ was produced rather than voted upon by the attendees, and these were then used by Canterbury to validate the outcome Canterbury had always intended.
Now another Instrument is being given the Delphi Technique Indaba ‘treatment’. Democratic debate and decision-making has been outlawed. Primates will not be allowed to debate with one another and vote in the old way, the democratic and the representative way their provinces and they expect. Instead, without authority [as usual], Canterbury has interposed a ‘facilitator’ to manage and control their discussions.
As if that was not a great enough concern, the reports of the last ‘Standing Committee’ meeting show even more manipulation. On Standfirm I made broadly these points:
It rather makes the point of the non-attending Primates that there is nothing on offer from this Archbishop of Canterbury’s meeting but scheming, manipulation and duplicity.
What has brought me to that view? Reading how he scuppered the last Standing Committee meeting whose draft minutes are here:
http://www.anglicancommunion.org/communion/acc/scac/resources/docs/standing_committee_minutes_july_2010.pdf
[1] When the excellent Stanley Isaacs called for debate on the seating of the TEC representatives, he was shot down for his efforts.
[2] Notwithstanding admitting that the procedures had not been followed in the previous meeting, +Rowan’s lawyer fixed it so that the questions over the appointments of Janet Trisk and +Ian Douglas were glossed over without dealing with the ACC Constitutional provisions which their appointments breached, and in any event he advised the meeting to retrospectively issue approval or just declare that procedures had been followed. A disgrace.
[3] Having removed representatives of TEC and Southern Cone from the Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Unity, Faith and Order [IASCUFO] which Rowan has given the job of advising on reform of the Instruments of Communion [with the notable absence of himself] I thought oh, well, perhaps he is doing something about the way the Instruments work. Well and good you might think. So what happened next? Well, with +Rowan’s encouragement, the Standing Committee Resolved:
[blockquote] Resolution 9 [Page 12 of the draft Standing Committee Minutes[:Strategic review and planning process
Noting the Secretary General’s report and IASCUFO’s current work concerning the Instruments of Communion, the Standing Committee
i. requests a proposal at its next meeting for a strategic review and planning process relating to ACC membership and meetings and Standing Committee structure and operation
ii. appoints the following persons to prepare the proposal:
Ian Douglas [convener] [TEC], James Tengatenga, Robert Fordham*** and the Secretary General[/blockquote]
So, having removed TEC representatives from IASCUFO, ACO and the ABC have put in place a Standing Committee review of their work convened by of all people, a TEC Bishop +Ian Douglas.
Leaving aside the ineligibility of Ian Douglas to even be on this Standing Committee, how outrageous is it to remove the representatives of TEC from one body, and then appoint one of the TEC chief culprits to review and report on the work that body is doing? How mad is that?
No the truth of the matter is that Williams and the ACO are now completely lawless, have lost all common sense and now behave in ways that would make Baby-Doc Duvalier squirm with embarrassment.
Those Primates who have decided not to go have been proved completely right. It is a farce.
Recently I have been pondering not whether the Communion will survive, but whether the Communion will survive Rowan Williams and his scheming and manipulation. There is no hope for the Communion unless the Global South join together and stop allowing Rowan Williams to divide them. There is no hope unless Rowan Williams and the ACO are removed. We need a return to democratic and representative governance of the Communion by all its Provinces, and an end to the lawless banana republic regime of Williams and Kearon.
[***Note 1 – ‘wildfire’ on Standfirm makes the point: “Note that Robert Fordham is no longer a member of the Standing Committee but he continues to attend meetings and serve on its committees.”]
[Note 2 – Oh and by the way, you will look in vain for any approval in the ‘Standing Committee’ minutes above for any decision regarding the re-engineering by Canterbury of the Primates’ meeting procedure.]
Global South Anglican has an [url=http://www.globalsouthanglican.org/index.php/blog/comments/dublin_meeting]editorial[/url] out (hat tip to [url=http://www.standfirminfaith.com/?/sf/page/27155]Stand Firm in Faith[/url] and David Ould) repeating and detailing, clearly and bluntly, why their primates will not attend the Dublin meeting and urging its being delayed until and not held unless TEC is held accountable to Lambeth 1.10 and Dar es Salaam. Emcouraging reading!